1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cart for transporting and/or containing materials. In particular, the present invention relates to a cart particularly useful for transporting medical supplies from an off-site location or warehouse to a hospital and vice versa.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Healthcare organizations that currently engage in off-site warehousing of supplies have used existing wire carts, enclosed bins and a myriad of other existing transport vehicles that were not specifically designed for the task, demand constant maintenance and frequently need to be replaced. Those organizations quite often use whatever carts or vehicles that are readily available, such as dollies, lockers wheeled on lorries or carts, Milcare's Bulk Supply Carts, Wireform carts, wire carts with cages around them, and enclosed bin variations of intrasite vehicles. However, such vehicles may show signs of excessive wear and tear when used for off-site warehousing. Furthermore, supplies may be lost or broken during transit due to the vibrations of the truck and delivery onto and off of the van.
Another common problem is that supplies that are transported from one facility to another may be exposed to the environment. Off-site warehouse and hospital receiving docks frequently do not enclose the open doors of the truck and potentially expose the medical supplies to rain, snow, and dirt. Carts used today frequently are not enclosed so the supplies are exposed to such environmental factors as dirt and dust that can ruin the supplies. Failure to protect supplies often results in damaged supplies, which translates into increased costs and waste and, more importantly, to the lack of supplies designated for the patient.
Another disadvantage of present day transport vehicles is that they are not specifically designed to maneuver about common obstacles such as docks, ramps, thresholds, and irregular surfaces including cracks and holes in the pavement. These types of obstacles often force an individual to transport the medical supplies in ways that are unstable and could result in injury to the individual or damage to the transport vehicle or contents therein.